Coronation Street: Plans for weekend set tours revealed

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The Coronation Street set in Trafford Park has recently been extended

Soap fans will get a chance to walk down Britain’s most famous street again if plans are approved to open up the Coronation Street set for tours.

ITV bosses have applied to allow weekend tours of the Corrie set in Stretford, Greater Manchester.

The broadcaster is hoping to build on the success of the temporary tours at the show’s former site in Quay Street, Manchester, which ran 2014-15.

But Hovis is concerned about traffic effects on its nearby flour mill.

Image copyrightAndrew Boyce/ITV

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The pre-booked tours are expected to attract 1,480 visitors a day and run at the weekends

ITV, which relocated the soap’s production from central Manchester in 2014, is applying for “change of use” permission at the site and said: “There is a desire to open up the external studio lot to enable the show’s fan base to enjoy a greater connection with the show.”

It added the previous temporary tours had been worth £60m to the local economy and estimated the new tours could be worth £4m annually.

The broadcaster said the tours would take place on Sundays, with some Saturdays depending on filming, from 09:00 to 18:00 April to September, and 09:00 to 16:00 October to March.

The 90-minute tours will have to be booked in advance and are expected to attract an estimated 1,480 visitors a day to the soap’s set in Trafford Park, which has recently been extended.

Hovis Ltd, which operates its flour mill on neighbouring Trafford Wharf Road, said it had no objection in principle to the plans but expressed concerns about the extra parking the attraction would entail and its effect on its delivery drivers.

In its formal response to the application to Trafford Council, it said more information was needed from ITV about traffic management in the area as “it is important that the arrival and departure of visitors is carefully managed”.